Thank-you for your support during CF awareness month,

I was talking to a friend recently who commented how well Rosie, my 15 year old daughter who has cystic fibrosis, looks. Cystic fibrosis is deceptive; people who have CF look well but may have a lot of internal damage that is not so obvious. Yes, Rosie does look well, but it is hard work to stay healthy and we can never take her health for granted, and the cold hard fact is that there is no cure and the life expectancy is only 37 years. Life is cruel and no child should have to go through what the kids with CF do and some days I think why us? There are no physical features that would make you aware of the condition – maybe a distended tummy on a child when the meds aren’t working or a constant cough. Cystic Fibrosis is a silent menace that takes years off young people’s lives and there is no cure. Some days it’s difficult as a mother to look at my child suffering, but it makes me more determined to do everything in my power to make CF stand for Cure found, I try to be positive. Life does not always go the way you plan!

Cystic fibrosis has made a big impact on my family, but looking at my Rosie’s Roses Facebook page today and it hit me how lucky I am! It is nearing the end of May, cystic fibrosis awareness month, and I realized that we are not fighting this on our own and we will get a cure for Rosie soon. Just this month, my family and friends organized and supported eight fundraisers to help find a cure for CF. Yes that’s correct; we had EIGHT fundraisers this month to benefit the CF Foundation. Our annual walk, Great Strides was fantastic, we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day to walk along the river in Mine Falls in Nashua. We are so lucky to have friends who gave up their Saturday morning to walk with us. It was quite an international event with Rosie’s Roses walkers from Ireland( of course!), England, Germany and  the US! One of our greatest supporters, Robert Plante travelled from Lebanon NH and walked with us. I must admit Team Rosie’s Roses sported the most unique T-Shirts, following a t-shirt painting party the previous week. It was wonderful to see Rosie’s friends walk to show support and her friends who could not walk due to sport commitments wore their t-shirts and were with us in spirit! What a great day!

From Duct-tape to mulch to bags, it certainly was a great few weeks of fundraising for CF!!! My neighbors and friends joined us at a Thirty One Bag fundraiser and a Lia Sofia Jewelry party – thanks Jen, Stacey and Krystle! Local businesses Beckoning’s and Northern Lights Landscaping held fundraisers and gave us a portion of sales, I know how many deserving causes there are so I really appreciate you thinking of us! My passion/hobby is fused glass; it is my “escape” from the trials and tribulations of everyday life.  Kelly at PJ MacWilliams Bon Bon sells my glass creations – and all the proceeds go to the CF Foundation,  I love to hear that people travel from towns near and far to purchase my creations. My daughter Zoë and her friends Abby, Eliza and Sarah decided to put their latest skills in creating items from Duct-tape to good use and created a website and held an open house to sell their creations!! Despite the rain they raised $230!! Every dollar makes a difference and gets us a step closer to a cure!

Life is good, but there is still a lot of work to be done, when we have support, it gives us hope and carries us through the dismal days. Thanks a million to everyone who supported us in any way and gave us hope for a cure for Rosie. For more details on CF follow my facebook page Rosie’s Roses or visit my website www.rosiesroses.yolasite.com